Philanthropy - Jaffa Group

Year 2010 was a pivotal year in the history of youth activism in the city of Jaffa, as in this year residents witnessed the establishment of the Jaffa Youth Movement as a reflection of national and social consciousness, with a thorough and independent viewpoint that does not follow any party or sect. It casts its shadow on all the young men and women of Jaffa, who gather in the name of the city's desire to realize a better future and a more beautiful Palestine.

The idea started at a small meeting that soon evolved into a series of rapid, organized meetings that in turn translated to activities on the streets, and various events to help the Jaffa community specifically and the Palestinian community generally. It elevated Palestinian identity to struggle indefinitely against the policies of Israeli institutions that erase our identity and destabilize its foundations.

It is a desire to give and the dream of a better future that caused more than thirty male and female activists to unite today within the framework of the Jaffa Youth Movement. They are united by the love of the motherland and Jaffa's great past, and their belief in the possibility of their contribution to changing socio-economic conditions and the cruel policies experienced by the residents of Jaffa and the Palestinians in general. This initiative urges young people to participate in making decisions that affect their present and future, and to take the initiative in promoting the spirit of volunteerism.

The Jaffa Youth Movement has, since the first few months of its inception, identified many goals that are inspired by the problems and needs of the street in Jaffa. These start with the building and strengthening of Palestinian national identity in Jaffa Arab society, promoting the status of Arabic among Jaffa’s Arab children, working on equality between men and women, promoting the spirit of volunteerism among young Arabs in the city in order to serve the community in all areas of life, in addition to career guidance for academic students and graduates of Arabic secondary schools in Jaffa to join the fight against the rampant violence in the city.

Members of the Jaffa Youth Movement are trying to act as role models for the children of Jaffa through their hard work and the continued success of the movement's activities, in addition to their monthly financial contribution to the movement's activities.

The movement has many activities that include visiting hospitals, assisting Palestinian patients visiting from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, visiting them in hospital and distributing toys and gifts to sick children, in addition to bringing food, particularly fresh, delicious Jaffa fish, and entertaining people spending difficult times and accompanying them while their children are in hospital. It should be noted that representatives from the movement visit the hospitals continuously and sequentially.

With a desire to put a smile on the faces of Jaffa’s children, during every festival for the different Arab denominations in the city, members of the movement distribute colored balloons in the city’s parks and at places of worship, in addition to organizing a Ramadan iftar (dinner) for all the different sects in the city, every year. The first such event was held in the courtyard of Al Khader Church under the auspices of Father Atallah Hanna and the Imam of Al Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Akrama Sabri. The belief of members of the movement in the importance of unified action between the two communities is central to maintaining community cohesion.

The Jaffa Youth Movement focuses on listening to, and interacting with, the pulse of the street. On this basis the movement continuously organizes various protests, and participates in demonstrations against the cost of living, and in commemoration of Land Day and the Nakba on an annual basis. The movement’s activists also organized many demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli prisons, in addition to organizing a national demonstration against racism in the Palestinian territories, and other events in solidarity with the revolutions across the Arab world, in order to express Jaffa’s solidarity with the greater masses.

For more information, and to learn more about the activities of the Jaffa Youth Movement, please follow the links below: